This invention relates to introducers and assemblies including introducers.
The invention is more particularly concerned with introducers of the kind used to assist intubation of medical tubes, such as endotracheal tubes.
Where the insertion route for a tracheal tube cannot be clearly seen, it is often necessary to use an introducer to help ensure correct intubation. The introducer takes the form of a rod that can be bent to a desired shape. The introducer can be inserted more easily than the tube because it can be bent to a desired shape and it has a smaller diameter. The smaller diameter of the introducer also enables a better view of the trachea. Once correctly inserted, a tube can be slid along the introducer into the correct location. A similar device can also be used as a stylet to assist introduction, by inserting it in the tube before the tube is inserted in the patient. The tube and introducer are bent to a shape that facilitates insertion, and the tube and introducer are then inserted together. Preferably, the introducer only takes the desired shape temporarily and returns close to its original shape after insertion, so that the introducer can be removed easily from the tube without disturbing it. Also, the introducer is softened by the heat of body, thereby making removal easier.
Introducers are also used as guides when a tube needs to be changed, if the original intubation was difficult. An introducer with a plain end is inserted into the tube before removal and the tube is then slid out along the introducer, while this remains in place. A new tube is then slid in along the introducer.
One example of a conventional tracheal tube introducer is sold by Eschmann Healthcare of Hythe, Kent, England under catalogue number 14-504-17. This introducer is made by braiding a sleeve from polyester filament on a mandrel, which is then repeatedly coated with a resin and dried in an oven. The mandrel is removed after a f ew coats and the coating and drying stage is repeated over twenty times to give the introducer the desired handling properties. This is a labour-intensive and expensive process.